Bunling in the Moon

“There’s a bun in the moon!” The smallest bunling hopped up and down excitedly. “I can see her!”

Addler shook his round head slowly. “Nope. Moon is a prittiful star lady, like Ladybun! All glowing and radiant and gentle and kind toward critters and generous with noms and-“

Bunlings pondered this claim carefully, peering at the moon in the sky, washed in its light.

“It’s so big that if there’s a bun there, surely it’s a whole nest! Many nests. Burrow!”

“‘n if there’s a leidi in there, she must be giant! Like Ceri!”

“‘s both.” Said the more talkative of the squirrel brothers. “Obviously. There’s a star lady in the sky, ‘n you can’t see her because she’s all kah-moh-flaaazed, ‘n you see just stars on her skin. But she wears moon on her head, like Ladybun always wears all the things ever.”

Critters listened eagerly, eyes growing larger, ears perking, occasional excited thump of a paw on the soft grass the only sound.

“AND. And. On that moon on her head there’s a bun. Just like Ladybun carries critters with her, the great giant star lady carries moon bun on her head, too.”

“Oooooooooo.” Critters sighed in unison, peering back in the sky. Reverent silence fell, broken after a moment by Addler’s dreamy voice.

“…so, do you think she has moon cakes?”

* * *
It’s time for the annual Fallen God & Goddess Contest! Simply take a picture of yourself wearing a Fallen Gods Inc. skin and send it full perms to me (Sonya Marmurek) to participate. Picture ratio 4:3, more details and rules here. Every participant gets an exclusive skin!

* * *
Skin: Fallen Gods Inc. – Sidera Starborn
Eyes: [Cubic Cherry] {Nebula} eyes
Hair: Exile – Fall
Headdress: {Acios} Gaia Crown ~Claire de Lune~
Bunling: !Ohmai: Mochi Bunny
Sparkles: Cole’s Corner – Glitterati (at Uber)
Pose: Astalianda – Moon (hunt prize in ~Zodiac~ Hunt, opens October 5th)

Growth of a Forest Fae

They begin their lives as petite fae, dancing with the lights on the bottom of the forest, on its waters and moss-covered hills. Their wings, their magic, can barely hold them afloat, but as they explore, as they dance, their enchantments grow stronger.

They practice by flying higher, landing on branches as large as roads, walking on them with tiny steps until trying to reach the higher foliage again.

On their way higher they begin to grow. The forest is ancient and it takes them years to fly up, years as they grow in size and magic. The foliage begins to thin, small beams of light tease them, lure them higher.

Then one day they break through the leaves into the light and touch the dawn. It is a blinding moment after the safety of the dark embrace of forest shadows. Blinding moment of growth when all the roads are not only open, but non-existent. Sky is open, sky has no limits.

The last weekend of Fantasy Faire 2017 is upon us. The official event program ends on Sunday, but we will have a six-hour closing party on Monday to wrap things up thoroughly. The Fairelands stay open for visitors through May 4th, so feel welcome to stay, explore, shop and quest!

Pictures taken in Fantasy Faire: Fairelands Junction.

Petite: Fallen Gods Inc. – Night Sparkle* at Fantasy Faire: The Rose
Skin, hair, outfit: Fallen Gods Inc. – Spirit Opal Aura* at Fantasy Faire: The Rose
Particle Magic: Cole’s Corner – Valkyrie Ocean Aura
Poses: Astalianda – Infinity 1 & 5 | Exposeur – Underwater 1 | NanTra – Defying Gravity 2 | Astalianda – The Spirit of Faire

Worth the Risk

Some kisses change you forever. Some moments awaken you from the slumber you’ve drifted into. Some encounters kill you, only to nurture you to rebirth. Some apples taste so sweet that everything else will become bland.
There are bites worth taking, risks worth daring, touches worth falling for. There are fairy tales that are real, as long as we remember that happy endings are just a marker on the road, one step among the many we take. 
We write our own stories, find our own tastes and flavors, and eventually decide which apple is worth the risk.

Scene: 
JIAN :: Nightingale’s Tree
JIAN :: Fallen Bunny Log
D-LAB+LIZAIL-PIPPIP-EF Apple tree01
D-LAB+LIZAIL-PIPPIP-EF Apple barrel
Ankle Biter – Your name is written in my heart
!Ohmai: Ninja Hedgehog [Chocolate]
HPMD* Little Birds — blue — type B
D-LAB+LIZAIL PICCOLI3 GrassBed 01
HPMD* SleepyRabbit white L — with Cuddle AO —
!Ohmai: Mochi Bunny
{anc} happyendpark. color little chick (natural) 5Li
Studio Skye – Enchanted Woods

Snow White:
Skin: Fallen Gods Inc. – Pure Ivory*
Blush: Zibska – YesNo Two & Izzie’s Blush
Lipstick: Fallen Gods Inc. – Courtesan Lips, Red, Defined with Beauty Marks*
Mesh: Maitreya Lara Body & Slink Hands & Feet
Hair: tram – F516
Eyes: IKON – Charm Eyes Brown
Dress: Fallen Gods Inc. & FAIDA – Cadeau deballe, Poison Apple~ Dress / Maitreya RARE at The Epiphany
Leg Ribbons: Fallen Gods Inc. & FAIDA – Ruban, red~ Leg Wraps / Maitreya at The Epiphany
Head Ribbon: G Field – Ribbon Headband -xmas red-
Apple: Shade – Hand Apple

Poses: Astalianda – New Friend | Eternal Dream – Free Spirits 09 | Imeka – Lulu Pose 8

The Light of the New Year

It’s a sunrise in the horizon of the Long Dark. It promises fresh snow, new winds, paths never walked before. It tells you all the dark things on your journey will be left behind, that they cannot cross over to this side. It lies. We carry the light with us, just like we carry the dark, and it is up to us to let them go or keep them close, it is up to us to choose. Regardless, in the light of the first new day of our lives it is always easier to be resolute, always easier to believe we will choose well. Perhaps that is the whole meaning of it, to give us that boost of energy to continue trying our best to make good choices, to encourage others to do so, to share our light with each other. 

Here’s to the new year, new world, shared light! May we make it the best of the years yet.

 

Skin: Pink Fuel – Doll v2 V2 Vamp
Mesh: Maitreya Lara Body & Slink Hands
Hair: Magika – Honey Whiskey
Gown & Jacket: Just Because – Christine
Bracelets: MANDALA – Shippoah
Snowflake & Pose: Astalianda – Snowstar (free gift, currently available under the tree in Selidor)

Dragons Dream

What do dragons dream of? There are many theories and suggestions, many answers even from the drakekin themselves. Some claim that it’s gold, some say conquest, some higher planes of magic, perhaps simply the joy of flying.
It may or may not be all of those things, but one dream always returns: the one where they are whelps once more, just specks of magic floating around within their very own plane of slumber, the one where they live before they are born to a more physical form.
They remember their guardians and caretakers, the warm glow of golden magic that they so hard try to reproduce in their hoards. They remember the humanoid feminine beauty, one of the first things they ever see and therefore try to recapture.
They dream of the gentle sway of flora made of magic, feeding their existence with each radiant spark of colour. They remember fluttering their small wings, floating on the currents of arcane energy.
What do dragons dream of? Gold and magic, beauty and flight. Dragons dream of beginnings, dragons dream of endings, dragons dream of eternity.

Scene: Cerridwen’s Cauldron – Floating Tuberplant v2 Set*
Dragonlings: lassitude & ennui – Dragon Whelps* at Gacha Garden
Skin: Fallen Gods Inc. – Pure Eclipse*
Tattoos: Fallen Gods Inc. – Eir Pure Gold RARE & Eros Real Gold RARE at Fantasy Gacha Carnival
Mesh Parts: Maitreya Lara Body, Slink Hands & Feet
Hair: Exile – Cold
Eyes: Fallen Gods Inc. – Glowing Eyes*
Metal Bikini: Luas – Melina Bra & Thong Maitreya Golden
Crown: Aisling – Malika (halo)
Particle Magic: Cole’s Corner – Fairy Gold Dust & Night of the Fireflies*
Poses: (marukin) [volition] back of a bird | Astalianda – Fallen 3 | Exposeur – Underwater 4

The Wings of Vanitas

Every year the new form takes her by surprise. She knows it’s coming, she can feel the change, the pull, the call, the sheer excitement of anticipation, but she never manages to guess what she will be once the magic in Selidor finishes its work. Some years she grows scales, some years she has a tail and some years she spreads wings to take to the suntouched skies. This is one of those years.

This year the wings are made for preening, not for flying. The skies did not call her up, instead all the flowers on the ground invited her to flourish next to them, to match the splendor. Every step stronger, every twirl more luxuriously delicate, Vanitas finds herself within the stunning sceneries, finds herself as a part of the whole, spreading her feathers not to fly, but to adorn the glory of magic even further.

The 9th Anniversary Festival of Fallen Gods Inc. has started with the Fortune Teller, hunt and rooftop market, soon to be followed with events and celebrations. Keep your eyes on the schedule!

Scene: Selidor

Avatar:
Skin: Fallen Gods Inc. – Vanitas Absinthe* – hunt prize in ~Sunrise of Creation~
Mesh: Maitreya Lara body & feet, Slink hands
Eyes: IKON – Immortal Eyes Sage
Body Tattoo Feathers: Fallen Gods Inc. – Feathers Raven* at We Love RP
Hair & Outfit: Fallen Gods Inc. – Vanitas Fortunes* – Fortune Teller prize in Selidor
Particle Sparkles: Cole’s Corner – Infinite Halo Teal/Gold & We Are Groot Aura*

Poses: Astalianda – Infinity 4 | Fallen 4 | Divine 3

The Source Seeker

The flight to the abyss is a long one. It’s mostly a lonely, cold flight through various realms and empty spaces where the only light in existence is the one you carry within you. It is a test: how long does your light hold out against the dark, how persistent is your spirit glow?

The ancient structures that were once mushrooms growing from an asteroid to another mark the way in the end, pulling you to the flow of inspiration at the source of all magic, nourishing your abyss-drained soul. Nourishing, fulfilling and healing until all the obstacles in your journey feel just a distant memory and there is only the glorious Now of Potential and Possibilities.

The Magic of Inspiration is the rarest of energies, always challenging to seek, eternally rewarding to find.

Scene:
Cerridwen’s Cauldron – Sidhe Trumpet Mushrooms & Elven Cup Mushrooms*
Cole’s Corner – Sea Sorcery (Celestial)*

Avatar:
Skin: Fallen Gods Inc. – Airmid, Ivory Ainur RARE*
Body Tattoo: Fallen Gods Inc. – Ainur White*
Face Tattoo: Fallen Gods Inc. – Wilvarin White*
Mesh: Maitreya Lara body & hands
Hair: Magika – First Light
Outfit, boots & blindfold: lassitude & ennui – Vindicator white* (blindfold not available anymore)
Particle Magic: Cole’s Corner – Valkyrie silver* available at the Festival Market
Wings: DRD – Devine wings/glow angel

Poses:
Astalianda –  Sun Sparkle 2, Divine 3 (soon available as a hunt prize), Sun Sparkle 1

Forest Daughter’s Strange Day

On one sunny autumn day one of the Forest Daughters heard a peculiar sound. She wasn’t quite certain what it was, if it came up from the trees or down from the grass, or possibly the embrace of the bushes. It sounded a bit like hedgehog snuffling mixed with busy conversation. “You go!” “No, you!” “Don’t drop it!” “I get to press the button!” “You goooo!”

After some slow turns of her branches, she heard a voice. “Excuse me, pritti tree lady. Parrr-don. Could you possibly pick me up for a moment?” A white fluffy creature hopped out from the undergrowth and the Forest Daughter leaned down to pick him up. For a moment he just wiggled his nose at her. Then there was a flash of light, a cheer of small voices and the bunling hopped down with a quick “thank-youuu!” and was gone. 

He was followed by a strange line of squirrels and an otter balancing a camera on his head. The Forest Daughter tilted her head, then extended her branches in a shrug and focused back on the precious last rays of sunlight.

Bunlings wanted to participate in the Fallen God & Goddess Contest 2016, but knew they are physically incapable of qualifying by the rules, so they came up with a Cunning Plan: sneak into a picture with a creature that works!

You can find the said rules, deadlines and all the other information on the Fallen Gods Inc. blog, but the rough nutshell is: take a picture wearing a skin (or petite) from Fallen Gods Inc. and send it full perm to Sonya Marmurek before Friday 7 October 2016, 11 pm slt. All the contestants receive an exclusive skin prize, and there’s plenty of other prizes as well!

Critters: !Ohmai – Mochi Bunny, Otter, Steampunk Squirrel

Dryad:
Skin: Fallen Gods Inc. – Wood Nymph Spring PG*
Tattoos & Body Branches: Fallen Gods Inc. – Fleurs & Fleurs Flowering*
Eyes: Fallen Gods Inc. – Glowing Eyes*
Hair & Bird Nest: !Ohmai – Sue & Nesting Tweeters
Headdress: LOVE – Dawn Chorus Headdress*
Mesh: Maitreya Lara & Slink Hands & Feet

Poses:
Kirin – Athena Pose 3
.Infiniti. Better To See You With 2
Astalianda – New Friend

Major Arcana: The Empress

She is the Mother, the Lover, the Goddess. She is wrapped in a wealth of luxuries, in abundance and opulence. She brings with her care and nourishment, the birth of art and creativity, of connections and happiness. She is the Empress and she governs Life.

In her footsteps the world blooms, ideas take root and hearts grow stronger. At her touch the nature celebrates in the richness of summer both in spirit and matter.

For all things stagnant she brings new hope, new sparkles and sensuality, new reasons to laugh, new reasons to reach out to others. Even better reasons to reach out to ourselves and awaken.

Within her lies the mystery of the feminine, from the pleasures of passion to the joy of play. From the nurturing protection to generous sharing of the world.

She is the Empress. May we all be so fortunate as to have her influence our lives, may we all dare to step forward to meet her and embrace her teachings. 

The whole look was inspired by the makeup by Fallen Gods Inc., which in turn was created for the Create Your Own Tarot event. It’s a relatively new event, going through the Major Arcana card by card. This round is all about The Empress.

The surroundings are completely by The Looking Glass, hailing back to this spring’s Fantasy Faire and Ichi-go Ichi-e sim, plenty of which is now available in the main store. The little sakura fairies are a group gift, even! Both the headdress by deviousMind and the robe by =Zenith= are gacha prizes from past events. I know deviousMind has the gacha in their main store and I’d trust =Zenith= adds hers eventually, too.

Scene: The Looking Glass – Ichi Fields, Hearts Like China Roses Ruby V, Ghost Butterflies, Sakura Meditation Message Pod, Sakura Magic Hover Pink*

Body: Skin: Fallen Gods Inc. – Pure Ivory | Eyes: IKON – Eternal Eyes Mesa | Lashes: Redgrave – 39 – Luscious | Makeup: Fallen Gods Inc. – The Empress* | Hands: Slink | Hair & Headdress: deviousMind – Amidala Royal HaeadDress Ornament Metal

Outfit: Robe: =Zenith= The Empress of China Dress Rare | Rings: Mandala – Motsumame Rings Red/Gold 

Poses: Kirin – Burlesque Poses Cane Pose 4 | Astalianda – Sun Sparkle 1 | Exposeur – Back to Black 8 | Kirin – December Pose 2 (Note that the gown’s sleeves have an overriding pose to keep arms fitting to them.)

Dream and Play

We play. There is no night and day down in the depths, there’s just awake and asleep, dream and play. 

Sometimes we leap higher with our friends and companions, leap higher and witness the strange lands of the two-tailed people with their clumsy movements and strange sounds. 

Sometimes when the awake time up above gets really warm and the surface waters caress every motion like a lover, we approach the land to marvel at the beauty such clumsy creatures manage to conjure. Such halls, such statues!

My favourite spot is one of the stone-shaped hippocampi, a friendly creature whose spirit is slumbering in silence. I can feel him through the stone, basking in the sun. Perhaps one day he’ll awaken, rise up and leap back into the waters to play with us.

Perhaps one day the clumsy two-tailed creatures will do the same. Perhaps one day they’ll learn to breathe properly and join us. Perhaps one day we’ll play. Until then we will just visit: their lands, their halls, their statues and their dreams.

Fallen Gods Inc. released the new mer-people to frolic in the seas of the Fairelands: Oceanica skins come with a bunch of appliers, a fancy swirly-coloured mermaid tail that combines mesh and flexi and a mer outfit. The necklaces are a free gift right under the info board in the Fallen Gods Inc. Faire-store in Odyssey. You can also find mer poses by Musa from the same sim and the Yo Bailo poses in Wildehaven Marsh.

The unique double crown by Bliensen + MaiTai is from the last year’s Silent Auction and works as a reminder to go and check what there’s available this year! Silent Auction takes place in the Fairelands Junction, is already running (although more will be still added) and lasts until Saturday 5PM SLT. At that time the auctions close and the highest bidders win their items.

Scene: Odyssey by Alia Baroque in Fantasy Faire

Mermaid: Skin, tail, mer-outfit: Fallen Gods Inc. – Oceanica Indian Ivory* | Necklace: Fallen Gods Inc. – Ivory Shell Necklace, free gift in Odyssey | Eyes: IKON – Immortal Eyes Passion | Hair: Exile – Whispers | Crown: Bliensen + MaiTai – Gilgalad Double Crown (unique from last year’s Silent Auction) | Hands: Slink

Poses: Musa – Mer Pose 2 | Yo Bailo – Mer Pose 9r & 4 | Astalianda – Finity 3